Counterbalancing spring hinge



lung 16, 1953 P, w. JAMES ETAL 2,641,795

COUNTERBALANCING SPRING HINGE Filed Dec. 28, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 w "My J1me 1953 P. w. JAMES EI'AL COUNTERBALANCING spams HINGE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 28, 1950 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I W, INVENTOR.

YIIIII/I/Z Illl I I "I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I June 16, 1953 P. w. JAMES ETAL COUNTERBALANCING SPRING HINGE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 28, 1950 Patented June 16, 1953 Reynolds, lSyr-acuse, N. L'Y,, .assignors Heatila'torjhic ,.S.yracuse, N. 1 a corporation of 'New York sApnlication December 28, 1950,:Serial: No..203;128

L3 .Glaims.

Illhe present invention :relates to colosuresand llar doors, bulkhead doors, aor other -.hatchway' doors, and to an improved :spring lhinge assem- .bly ltherefor which is adapted .to balance the v,weight ,of such closure members to facilitate opening, and closing thereof.

Ordinarily, closures of the above-mentioned type are bulky and heavy, and;reguirethe;exer- =tion .of:considerableforce to openor close ithe same. Thisais extremely disadvantageous when :they are being lopened from within, since, in ,manyiinstances, closures of this type: assume a substantially horizontal :position when -c1osed, and must 'beapproachedon anrinclinedwstairway, makinglit quite awkward'or impossible 1for aper- .son to apply anyesubstantial :lifting force 1 at the extreme free end ofthe-closure, t-whereithez-advantage of leverage-is" greatest.

It vis an object, therefore, v-rof -the ;.present:inventionto ;provide a :hinge eassembly :iQf-LCIOSUJ'BS which substantially ibalancesfthe dead-.-weightof theclosure.

:Another .object .is :to provide :an improved spring hinge assembly for :o1osures, :which rsubstantially balancesthe dead weightof theqclosure throughout the entire arciof-zswing .'.0f: the1c10S.ure

.from-r a.-fullyclosed ;position :to: a fully-..opened -:po-

.sition.

:A further object ".is to ;provide .:an improved spring-hinge @assembly ,for cellar adOQ'lS,"-:b.ll1khead doors, :hatchway-doors; and .the:.1ike,rwhich tends to ,urge :the -door.-continually :from-sa zfully closed position to :a fully -ropened -;position,'-:and which :requires ;a minimum -.of gphysical exertion to effect initialeopening 10f the doorzfrom @aiully closed position. v V

Still .:another object is to provide an improved springs-hinge assembly for-closures including :.a plurality of springs "whichare adapted :to successively exert (increasing pressure against -=.the door tending to open the same as athedoor-is closed, thereby compensating for the {increasing mechanical advantage: of .-.leverage :gained -;by .the door as it is closed.

Other objects 1 and l-advantages of the :inven- :tion will behereinafter described-rand the movel features .thereof Edefined in-lthelappended 'sIn the drawings:

IJFigure s1- is .a {perspective yieweofeascellar door or hatchway .assembly :made cin accordance :with the present invention, .the ,closure being :zshown inaaiully opened position; 7

claims.

Figure 2 is a top plan of the cellargddUnasSembly oiFigure .l, withv the. closure in ,a fullyzclosed position;

figure 3 isran-enlarged view, in vertical-section, as :takenon-theJinesS-J of Figure, 2, witha .por- ,tion of ithe spring-hinge assembly broken away for clarity;

Figure-4 is Tan-:enlarged fragmentary view in 'vertical'section; asitakenaon the ;line 44 of Figure=2, =-with certain-of the parts-shown .inelevaltion;

"Figure .52is a fragmentary viewiin yerticahsec- .tion,=:as1taken on-.the line ,5- 5-iof iFigurel..3;

Figure :6 is (an enlarged :;fragmentary --view in horizontal section, as ,taken on the line 1. 66 of Figure ,3 and Figure 'Zis a:detail ,view in ,perspective of one lot the hinge pinssupporting rmembersof the :as-' .sembly.

:Like reference characters designate corresponding ,parts ,in the several figures of -,the drawings, wherein Lgenerally denotes a .frameof acellarv or .hatchway vdoorlassembly made in .accordance with this invention, .said .irame :comprising {a pair :of generally triangulareshaped vertical side walls ,2, and transversely extended header and sill plates, respectively designated ,3 and A. .The upper edges of .thelside Walls. 2 ,are turned laterally towards each other, as ..at 5, and thence upwardly .tojform ,a marginal -flange l8 thereon. The base sof .each side-2 vis .provided with an inwardly directed flange 5 adaptedby means ,of .a ,plurality of, fastener-receiving holes 5 'jior, attachmentto a suitable supporting structure (notshown). The header ,.3 interconnects thelrear endslof thesidesl of the, frame Land the header 3 is provided with a vertically disthe forward ends .of the side Wa1ls,2,,,and.is.con

posed .flange ,1 for abutment with the building structure (not shown) with which .the cellar .doorassembly ,I is to be associated, andthe for- Ward edge of ,therhea'der isprovided with a sec- 0nd flanges-8 disposed at-rightangIes to the header and diverging outwardly ltowardsthe sides v2 of uthelframe where .thefiange l8 abuts the flanges 6 vatritssopposite ends. v,Thelsillllinterconnects nected theretoat its sopposite ends by meansof vertical end plates ,9. .Thissillis,preferably.of inverted channel section, and is :suitably roughened: on its ,upper face to prevent, a ,person ,passing through the doorway from slipping thereon. The sill 4 is also provided with a plurality of fastener-receiving holes IE for securing the complete assembly A to the supporting structure (not shown).

A closure member ii for the opening defined between the respective sides 2 and the header and sill plates 3, t of the frame is pivotally connected to the frame by an improved hinge assembly hereinafter particularly described in detail. This closure member I i is preferably made of sheet metal on the order of approximately 16- gauge, and on its inner and outer faces is provided with suitable handles as at I! and H". A number of transversely and longitudinally extended reinforcing ribs 52 are suitably secured to the inner face of the closure l I, and the marginal edges of the closure are turned downwardly at right angles, as at 6, for overlapping the flanges 6 and 3 about the open frame I, thereby effecting a seal or shed against ingress of rain, water, wind and the like.

Passing now the hinge assembly, a vertically extended, L-shaped supporting member I4 is suitably secured, as by welding, at the rear edge of each of the side walls 2 of the frame I, with one side [5 of member [3 disposed in parallel, spaced relation to its adjacent side 2. The other side N5 of the supporting member 14 is provided with an L-shaped bracket I! fixed thereto adjacent the upper end thereof, a portion of the bracket I! being disposed in parallel spaced relation to the side !5 of the support M as best shown in Figure 6. The opposed portions of the bracket I! and the side l5 are provided with horizontally aligned openings [8 for mounting a hinge pin or bolt l9 therethrough. A substantially U-shaped hinge arm or bar 23 ispivotally mounted at one of its ends on the pin i9, and at its opposite end, the hinge arm 20 is secured to the door or closure H and to the ad jacent end of the rearmost reinforcing member 12, as by means of welding or the like, the rearmost member 12 serving to maintain the portion of the door or closure H to which the hinge arm 23 is attached, substantially rigid and inflexible. A strengthening plate or gusset 2| is preferably Welded in the angle between the reinforcing member 52 and the hinge bar 20 for affording additional support and rigidity to the connection.

Resilient means generally designated at 22 is provided for urging the closure H away from the opening in the frame I. This resilient means 22 includes a screw-threaded rod 23 which is telescopically engaged by a sleeve 24, this tele scopic rod and sleeve assembly 23, 24 being pivotally mounted between the hinge bar or arm 2!! and an abutment plate 25 fixed at the lower end of the supporting member [4. The rod 23 is pivotally connected to the hinge arm 20 by means of a laterally extended bracket 23 and a pivot pin 2?, and the lower end of the sleeve 24 is passed through an opening 23 in the abutment 25 and is pivotally positioned in said opening by means of a transversely extended pin 24' of sufficient length to span the opening 28 so as to rest upon the upper face of the plate 25.

An outer resilient compression spring 29 surrounds the telescopic assembly 23, 24 and is interposed between a pair of spaced seats 30, 3|. The seat as is cperatively positioned against the transverse pin 23 in the sleeve 24, and the seat 3! is adiustably positioned on the rod 23 by means of an adjusted nut 32. A second inner resilient compression spring 33 also surrounds the telescopic assembly 23, 24 in coaxial relation to the first spring 29, and is preferably supported at one of its ends by means of an intermediate or third spring seat 34, which is carried by one end of an outer sleeve 35 surrounding the inner sleeve 24 of thetelescopic assembly 23, 24. The end of the sleeve 35 remote from the third seat 34 is supported on the spring seat 30. The second spring 33 is preferably of such length that it is compressible between the seats 3|, 34 only when the closure II is moved past a predetermined point towards the opening in the frame Thus, the spring 33 is only effective for a portion of the movement of the closure ll away from the opening in the frame and is inactive or spent for the remainder of this movement, but the first spring 29 is continually effective throughout the movement of the closure H in either direction.

The relative position of the seats 30, 3| may be adjusted experimentally by means of the adjuster nut 32, and, by using outer sleeves 35 of varying lengths, the relative position of the seats 3|, 34 may be'varied, thereby varying the com; bined expansive force of the springs 29, 33 to suit the requirements for closures of diiferent sizes and weights. Then, if desired, these parts may be frozen in adjusted position by spot welding or the like.

The operation of the hereinbefore described cellar door construction and binge is as follows:

Assuming the closure H to be in a fully closed position, as in Figures 2, 3 and 5, it will be seen that both the first and second springs 29, 33 are compressed between the opposed seats 30, 3! and 3|, 34, respectively. Therefore, the combined force of these springs tends to urge the closure II away from the opening in the frame I. As best seen in Figure 3, when the closure H is in a fully closed position, the axial center line of the telescopic members 23, 24, and thus the center line of thrust of the springs 29, 33, is at an angle slightly forward of the dead-center line between the pivot pin 24' and hinge pin I9. Accordingly, the springs 29, 33 are exerting their full force against the closure tending to urge it open, but the expansive force is preferably s0 adjusted, as hereinbefore described, that the dead-weight of the closure slightly overbalances the force of the springs. Thus, it requires only a slight physical effort on the part of a person opening the door, in addition to the force of the springs 29, 33, to move the closure ll away from the opening in the frame. Due to the fact that the springs progressively gain a mechanical advantage of leverage as the closure I l is moved away from the opening in the frame I, the inner or second spring is only needed for the first portion of this opening movement of the door, and, as seen in Figure 4, the spring 33 is fully spent and no longer engages the seat 3! when the door ll reaches the position shown in full lines in this figure. However, only substantially the same physical effort is still required on the part of a person opening the closure II to its fully open position represented in broken lines in Figure 4, since the outer spring still has sufficient force to substantially balance the closure due to the aforementioned mechanical advantage. It is therefore readily apparent that the physical effort required to move the closure towards or away from the opening inthe frame I is virtually constant throughout the entire arc of swing of the closure.

While the specific details of an illustrative embodiment of the invention have been herein shown and described, alterations and changes may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A hinge assembly for pivotally attaching a closure to a frame having an opening therein, comprising a supporting member adapted to be attached within the frame, a hinge pin carried by said supporting member, a hinge arm pivotally mounted at one end on said hinge pin, the opposite end of said hinge arm being adapted for connection with the closure for said frame, whereby said closure may be swung open or closed, an. abutment also carried by said supporting member, and resilient means interposed between said abutment and said hin e arm for urging said closure to an open position, wherein said hinge assembly includes a pair of telescopic members, one of said telescopic members being pivotally connected to said hinge arm and the other of said telescopic members being pivotally mounted on said abutment, a spring seat carried by each of said telescopic members, a support disposed about one of said telescopic members and engaged at one end with the spring seat on the latter telescopic member, said support having a spring seat at itsother end disposed intermediate the spring seats on the'respective telescopic members, and said resilient means comprises a pair of compression springs adapted to exert a combined force on the closure for a portion of its opening swing, while only one. of

. said springs remains active upon the closure for the remainder ofthe opening swing of said closure, one of said springs being disposed between the spring seats on the respective telescopic members and the other of said springs seating on the seat on said support and extending towards the spring seat on one of the telescopic members for engagement therewith.

2. A spring hinge assembly for entrance-ways which include a frame having an opening and a closure for said opening, said hinge assembly being adapted to connect said closure to said frame and comprising av supporting member adapted to be mounted within said frame, a hinge pin carried by said supporting member, a hinge arm pivotally mounted at one end on said hinge pin and adapted to be connected at its opposite end to said closure, an abutment carried by said supporting member in spaced relation to said hinge arm, a pair of telescopic members pivotally mounted between said hinge arm and said abutment, a spring seat carried by each of said telescopic members in spaced relation to each other, a compression spring disposed between said seats for continually urging said closure away from said opening, a third spring seat intermediate the spring seats aforesaid, and a second compression spring disposed between said third spring seat and one of the first-mentioned spring seats for urging said closure away from said opening for a predetermined part of the arc of its pivotal movement while remaining inactive for the remainder of the pivotal movement of said closure, said telescopic members comprising a rod pivotally connected at one end to said hinge arm and a pair of coaxial, inner 6 and outer sleeves slidable over the free end of said rod, oneof the spring seats carried by said telescopic members being mounted on said rod and being adjustable lengthwise thereon, another of said spring seats being mounted on the inner of said sleeves at the end thereoiremote from saidrod, the intermediate spring seat being mounted at one end of the outer of said sleeves, and the opposite end of said outer sleeve seating on the spring seat mounted on said inner sleeve.

3. A spring hinge assembly for entrance-ways which include a frame having an opening and and said abutment, a spring seat carried by each of said telescopic members in spaced relation to each other, a compression spring disposed" between said seats for continually urging said closure away from said opening, a third spring seat intermediate the spring seats aforesaid, and a second compression spring disposed between said third spring seat and one of the first-mentioned spring seats for urging said closure away from said opening for a predetermined part of the arc of its pivotal movement while remaining inactive for the remainder of the pivotal movement of said closure, said telescopic members comprising a rod pivotally connected at one endto'said hinge arm and a pair of coaxial,

inner and outer sleeves slidable over the free end of said rod, one of the spring seats carried by said telescopic members being mounted on said rod, another of said spring seats bein mounted on the inner of said sleeves at the end thereof remote from said rod, the intermediate spring seat being mounted at one end of the outer of said sleeves, and the opposite end of said outer sleeve seating on the spring seat mounted on the inner sleeve, and the second spring seating at one of its ends on said intermediate spring seat and being of a lesser length than the distance between said intermediate spring seat'and the opposed spring seat mounted on said rod when the closure is moved away from said opening beyond the predetermined portion of said movement aforesaid;

' PAUL W. JAMES.

HERBERT G. REYNOLDS.

References Cited in the file of this patent Germany Dec. 8, 1941 

